Lost
by This Means You
Summary: Not long ago, Ahsoka walked away from the Jedi Order. The Council receives information as to the whereabouts of Grievous. Anakin and Rex, longing for a distraction from the intense emotions within them, set off for the Outer Rim, only to crash minutes away from the drop zone. Waking up injured and alone, Rex must find the strength within himself to get him and his brothers home.
1. ONE: Freefall

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the characters in it.

A/N: It's been a while, guys! I've been so busy with education at the moment that I just haven't been able to find the time at all. If you're a reader of my other fanfictions, I sincerely apologise for the lack of updating. If I find the time, I will try and get back to them, I promise. As always, if there are any blundering mistakes, please point them out, please feel free to review my work (it all helps), and thank you for taking the time to read! Hope you enjoy!

 **Lost**

 **ONE: Freefall**

The low buzzing hum of the dropship muffled the outside from my thoughts. It was like a numbing trance, soft and soothing. In the back of my head, and my temples, eye sockets. But not really there. An invisible barrier. I stood gripping the overhead strap and looked down at my feet, waiting for the drop zone.

ETA: ten minutes. Not ideal. Too much time to think.

As the dropship neared the DZ, the doors lifted. A great rush of air swelled in.

'I said - are you all right Rex?' shouted General Skywalker, monotone, in order to be heard over the sound of the dropship and the wind whipping at our ears.

I came to as his free hand settled on my shoulder. It was like getting my character back.

'Yes sir, sorry sir. Been having some trouble hearing through the old girl recently,' I said through gritted teeth, tapping my helmet. 'Been meaning to get it looked at.'

General Skywalker nodded. 'As long as you're all right. I need you at your best today. We've finally tracked down Grievous to this forest moon in the Outer Rim, and I'm not letting him get away this time.' he bellowed over the noise. There was a distinct bitterness and severity in his voice. And a hardness to his gaze. He's been harsher recently. More coarse. Not hard to work out why.

What do you mean 'got your character back?' How can you possibly have it back when she's still..? When she's not..?

The General let out an almost inaudible sigh.

'I know, Rex.' said the General. Quieter this time. Softer. Almost as if I wasn't supposed to hear it. 'I miss her too.' Maybe I wasn't.

We stood for a moment in sombre silence, bar the whirring of the ship, remembering his Padawan. _Ex-_ Padawan. I felt his hand slip from my shoulder.

I parted my lips to speak. Then came the chaos. The dropship suddenly lost its balance and veered off to the right. The alarm bleeped chaotically from the cockpit. Red. Flames. Smoke. The whir of the engine began to rise. We were losing altitude. Fast. The floor of the ship tilted. I felt my legs falling out beneath me and grasped the grip handle with both hands.

' _What's going on up there_?' shouted General Skywalker to the pilots, clinging on to the grip handle equally as hard I was. No reply. And the ground was getting too close for comfort.

Every man was scrambling for the straps. One fell. He screamed as he went. The General caught the next one and held him suspended while his brothers reached out for him. The transport was now fully on its side and sliding at a deathly speed towards the treeline.

I heard a cry above. A flash of white. I instinctively reached out and caught hold of the trooper's wrist.

Thank the Force. I got him.

He dangled beneath me on a background of streaked greens and browns for a millisecond. Then I felt the strap give way a little. My stomach lurched.

'You've got to be joking…' I muttered under my breath. I could feel my shoulder straining in its socket. I looked down at my brother hanging from my arm, and back up to the strap. 'Make sure you save them, sir!' I yelled to the General. He was busy trying to make his way to the cockpit to steer her in for a safer landing.

'Rex?' His eyes. He didn't understand. And I didn't have time to explain.

'I'll catch up to you, sir! Give 'em hell!'

And the bar gave way. He yelled it again as I fell, my brother just a foot beneath me. Free falling. I know it sounds cheesy, but as I fell, it felt like an eternity. My breath was loud and fast, ricocheting around inside my helmet. It was hot. I couldn't see the horizon. Just the crystal blue of the sky. It was odd to be weightless. And yet, it was almost peaceful.

I was suddenly reminded of Padawan Tano as she caught me that time on Geonosis. That smile…How I wanted her to catch me again.

And then the heavy thud and splintering crack.


	2. TWO: One Hell of A Landing

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the characters in it.

A/N: Hello again! Just a quick note – as you can tell, this story is from Rex's perspective. Because of this, you may find some incorrect grammar etc. which I will have included to give make it sound as though Rex, as a real person, is speaking, the same way I will include the occasional phonetic spellings. Obviously, you can read it however you want, but it was written with the intention of the reader hearing Rex's voice. Just thought I'd make it clear.

Sorry about the first chapter being so short. I rarely find myself writing long opening chapters. This one is longer, and they'll probably find themselves getting longer as this goes on.

As always, if there are any blundering mistakes, please point them out. Please feel free to review my work (it all helps), and thank you for taking the time to read! Hope you enjoy!

 **Lost**

 **TWO: One Hell of A Landing**

What woke me was the pain. I think.

My head was throbbing, there was a sharp ringing in my ears, something in my leg felt twisted, my shoulder pulled, and my ribs were bruised at the very least. It was a long while before I had the strength to open my eyes. I could feel that I'd lost my helmet from the soft mizzle in the air wetting my skin. When I opened them the ringing gradually subsided and my eyes accustomed to the light. I glanced down and found my landing had been…more than precarious.

I was wedged on the branch of a tree. A splintering one at that. An inch too far either way and I'd risk falling another twenty feet - something I didn't fancy doing.

The branches above were split and torn violently. They must have broken my fall. In which case I was lucky. What about my brother?

I managed to sit myself up, ignoring the pain in my side, and hugged the tree for support, awkwardly straddling my injured leg over the branch. I was just about high enough in the trees to see the crash site of the LAAT about ten clicks east of my position. The smoke was still rising into the sky. But I got the feeling General Skywalker managed to land her well enough given the circumstances. I just hoped they'd not suffered too many casualties. I couldn't see a fire. That was some good news at least.

I had to find the man I'd fallen with. I searched around the bottom of the tree from my vantage point. The light was beginning to fade. I'd probably been out for several hours. Through the dense foliage, I spotted a white smudge in the vague shape of a man several metres away from the foot of the tree, in a miniature clearing. I had to get down to him and check that he was all right. It didn't look like he'd had the luxury of the tree canopy to break his fall.

Manoeuvring my body awkwardly, avoiding using my injured limbs as much as possible, I gingerly made my way down from branch to branch.

'Come on Rex. You can do this,' I mumbled to myself as slid my leg down to the slippery branch below. My ribs were giving my hell. 'Just take it one…ugh!…branch…at a time.' I was a little out of breath from my lungs not wanting to cooperate.

I'd made it about two-thirds of the way down when I chose the wrong branch to put my weight on. As soon as I brought my twisted leg after me I felt something lurch. There was an easing groan of wood on wood, and the branch gave out beneath me. I jounced heavily from one branch down the one below, until the solid thud of the ground winded me.

My fingers clawed in discomfort at the ground.

'Well,' I groaned wryly. 'That's one way to get down.'

Picking myself up I realised that the fall has relocated my shoulder. Every cloud has its silver lining and all that. Hadn't done my ribs any favours, though. I stretched my shoulder around, enjoying the mild, healthy ache that emitted from it, and clicked my neck both ways.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted what looked like a grey and blue rock at the base of the tree. 'Ah, there you are.' I said, limping over, picking it up and dusting it off. I placed it under my shoulder. I looked about for the trooper.

I found him quickly and knelt down beside him. Anxious, I removed his helmet.

'Soldier? Can you hear me?' I didn't recognise his armour. He must have been a new transfer. Not the best start, then.

His eyes were open slightly, and his chest was perfectly still. I held my breath for a moment as I checked his pulse.

Nothing.

I sighed and wrinkled my face up in my hands. Not again. I made myself look at him again, and reached out to close his eyes.

'I hope you've found peace, broth-' I was stopped by a flicker of his eyelid. I froze for a fraction of a second, not breathing, before frantically reaching for my helmet. I quickly rubbed the visor before placing it a few inches away from the trooper's mouth. I waited, not breathing at all.

 _Come on,_ I thought.

After several of the longest seconds I'd ever known, the faintest patch of condensation grew on the cool surface of the visor. I finally let out my breath and set back on my heels.

'You're all right, brother. I've got you.' I said.

He needed help. And badly. I flicked on my transmitter.

'Come in General Skywalker. This is Captain Rex. I repeat, General Skywalker, come in. This is Captain Rex, alive and well - over.' I waited a few seconds.

Silence. Then tried again.

Silence.

'Damn it,' I muttered under my breath and lashed out at the ground with my fist. I sighed. 'Looks like it's just you and me, eh?'

I set about basic first aid on the trooper and myself. When I was done, the sun had almost finished retreating behind the treeline. It was a brilliant gradation of amber. We had to get to General Skywalker, and the best place to look was the crash site. But before that, we had to find shelter. It was too dark for anything else now. I looked at the trooper. He would slow me down, but there was no way I was leaving him. My brain began to race for the quickest way to get him moving. I scrambled about in the trees. I eventually found a thick, bowed piece of bark, just about long enough for a man.

I hauled it over to the trooper and dragged him onto it. His feet hung off the end a little, but it would have to do. Darting - or as close to it with my injuries as I could get - back into the woods, I tore off lengths of vine coiled around the trunks and secured him to the bark with it. Lashing some sturdy bits of branch to the top, I put my helmet on, picked up the branches, and began to pull. The other end dug gruellingly into the ground. My side felt like doubling over already. I had to keep moving if we were to find shelter before nightfall.

After a few minutes, I stopped and turned round to him.

'You're a tad heavy, old boy. Hah…' I panted a little, out of breath, and got back to pulling. 'You know, I can't keep calling you _old boy_ this whole time. But since I don't know your name…' I paused for breath. '…I'm gonna call you Seven.' I sniffed and rubbed my nose with one hand. '…because that's my lucky number. And you, my friend, are one lucky bastard.'

It didn't really matter if he could hear me or not. I was going to help Seven get through this, and Seven was going to help me, whether he was actively party to it or not.

'Besides, you're a shiny.' I said, with a little more bounce in my step. 'You probably don't even have a name yet. So really, I'm doing you a favour.' I continued talking to Seven every now and then as I slowly made our way through the forest. I stopped and radioed in every ten minutes in hopes of a reply. But there never was. To me, it seemed like something was interfering with the signal.

The sun had disappeared now, just an aura of light fading in the far east of the sky. I stopped for a moment and flicked on my headlight. I stepped over a snake-like creature as its tail finished worming in front of my path. The leaves and twigs crunched beneath my feet. The temperature had dropped rapidly with the sun gone.

The sun had fully set, and the kaleidoscope of stars above us shone out brightly. The cold was beginning to creep into my suit, and my breath warmed my face under my helmet. I could feel my muscles contracting. I was moving a lot slower.

'Not far now…' I kept saying to Seven. I was saying it to Seven, but it was probably more for my benefit than his.

Just when I felt my body creasing up from the cold, we came across a cave, inset into the side of a rocky hill.

'Looks like this is it, Seven.' I said with a wry smile. 'Home sweet home.'


	3. THREE: Dancing Flames

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the characters in it.

A/N: Hi there! Thanks for taking the time to read the next chapter! As always, if there are any mistakes, please point them out. Please feel free to review my work (it all helps), and I hope you enjoy!

 **Lost**

 **THREE: Dancing Flames**

I dragged Seven just inside the mouth of the cave and paused for a moment against the wet walls to catch my breath. I tried once again to reach the General, but there was nothing.

Raising my blaster and aiming my headlight into the darkness of the cave, I slowly advanced in, my left leg dragging a little. I had to check that nothing lived in here. We wouldn't want any nasty surprises in the night.

I rounded a small turn in the cave. The light cast on some large bat-like creatures hanging from the ceiling. As soon as the light cast on them, they awoke. It sent them crazy. Their eyes sprang open. High piercing screeches erupted from their necks. They flapped and swarmed in an impenetrable mass of wings and teeth for the mouth of the cave. I was caught off guard by the sudden commotion and knocked to the ground, my blaster thrown from my grip. It clattered to the other side of the cave. A large one decided it wanted to try me on for size. The white light of my helmet flickered and shook about the cave as I struggled to get the beast off me. It was almost as big as I was and felt as heavy as a full-grown Wookiee. The claws on its wings dug frantically at me. It wanted to taste me. Its ugly head strained out for my face. Razors as long as my fingers protruding at all angles from its mouth. I clasped my hands around its mouth to keep it shut, but it was far too strong. All the time I struggled to keep my distance. If I couldn't keep it shut, I'd have to force it open. I locked one hand around the gaping nostril and the other around the horn growing from its lower jaw and began to pull. The jaws slowly but steadily parted. The beast began to squirm, still trying desperately to gnash at me. The breathy squeal that came from its throat got more frantic. Its legs and arms were thrashing about like it was drowning on land. As I pulled with all my might I let out a roar of effort. A satisfying crunch, and then it stopped.

The dead weight of the creature collapsed onto me, its head on my chest. I let out a heavy breath. The jaws hung unnaturally loose and the tongue lolled out. The rest of the flock had emptied long ago.

I wriggled out from under the creature and recovered my blaster. I noticed a splatter of blood on my breastplate and quickly smeared it away. I staggered over to the beast, raised my blaster and shot it straight through the eye. Just to be sure. The rim of the hole sizzled and smoked like the embers of a dying fire. At least we wouldn't go hungry tonight.

I dragged the creature a little further out of the cave, and Seven a little further in to meet halfway. I positioned a couple of rocks for a seat and began to build a fire from some twigs I'd collected from outside. It didn't light the first few times, but the leaves eventually took light. Before long a little fire crackled in front of us.

I took my hunting knife out of my belt. A lightning bolt of pain shot through my heart. She'd given me that knife. As a gift the last time I'd got injured.

My hand clasped my mouth and I felt myself needing to look away. My eyes were closed. Remembering. The day was still fresh and vivid in my mind, as though it were yesterday.

 _'Here you go, Rex.'_ Her sweet voice echoed in my head. I felt my eyebrows furrowing and eyes wetting.

 _'What's this?' I'd said, my heart warming at the sight of her._

 _'A gift. You know, a sort of 'welcome back' thing. So you're more prepared next time you have to go. We don't want you getting into any more scrapes like the last one, now do we?'_

 _'Awh, little one...' I had found myself saying. Except she wasn't so little anymore. My heart was swelling in my chest. 'I mean...' I hesitated. '...Ahsoka.'_

I remembered how my breath had caught in my throat as I'd said it. The first time I'd said her name. All by itself.

 _Thank you. But, do you mean 'we' or…you?' I had no small teasing grin on my face_ _and_ _Ahsoka had been taken aback, I could sense it. The tension had been so strong I could have taken that knife and cut right through it._

I looked back at the knife in my hand and quickly dabbed back the tear in my eye as I appreciated the carving of the wooden handle in the firelight. I sat there for a while until I had composed myself. I felt the muscles in my face returning to their steely neutral position. This was no time to be getting emotional. I removed my helmet and got about skinning the creature.

𐠅𐠅𐠅

About an hour later, three lumps of meat were roasting above the flames on a stick. I occasionally tested them with a prod. I'd noticed earlier that the walls glistened with moisture. There must have been a water source running through the hill. I could find it tomorrow, but for tonight we could make do with collecting the drips from the walls.

When I was satisfied they were cooked, I removed two of them, folded them in a piece of rag and put it away as a sort of small, makeshift bag.

'These, my friend, are in case you wake up.' I smiled over at Seven as I packed them in. 'If you woke up and I had no food – now that would just make me a bad host.' Silence amidst the crackle of the flames.

The other lump of meat I eagerly bit into. The heat made my teeth ache but it didn't stop me biting in wholeheartedly. Whatever this thing was, it tasted good.

I sat opposite the flames as they danced. It was so destructive but so beautiful. For a moment, the flames almost seemed to take on a form. Human? - no. And there she was, for a brief moment in time, dancing in the flames before my eyes. I swallowed the masticated ball of meat in my cheek. I could hear the squelch as it went down. I tore my eyes away from flames and stood up in a hurry. I glanced back over my shoulder, just to check, but she was gone.

Downcast, I left to collect some more twigs and logs from close by the mouth of the cave. As I passed the mouth, I sucked on the wall. The earthy yet metallic taste of the rock against my tongue was somehow electric. Until the large, bowl-like leaves I'd put down collected enough water, this was how I'd have to stay hydrated. Returning with some branches under my arm, I dumped them on the floor and sat down before throwing one on the fire. A flurry of burning embers, but no Ahsoka. I sighed and checked my wrist.

'Come in General Skywalker. This is Captain Rex. I repeat, this is Captain Rex, alive and well. Please respond – over.'

I waited a few minutes. Nothing.

It seemed pointless, and it certainly wasn't doing my own morale any good. But if by some miracle I could get a signal, it could save Seven's life.

I looked over at Seven. In the blaze of the firelight, he looked so peaceful. I could detect now the minute rise and fall of his chest. The bruise on Seven's head was starting to tint his temple a deep shade of purple and wondered how brilliant my own bruises were looking. I wasn't sure how long I could keep him alive by myself. While he was unconscious, I could only do so much. Like this, I could drip water into his mouth, but he couldn't eat. And if he couldn't eat, his body would soon shut down. I began thinking about the maths involved in how long Seven could go without food and how long it would take to get to the crash site – but I stopped myself. Best not to, Rex.

I stared out at the sky, hoping that the others were okay. And I wondered if General Skywalker and the rest of the 501st were looking up at the sky and thinking about us too. I didn't know these stars or their constellations. But that didn't stop them sparkling.

A/N: Thanks very much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! Please leave a review to let me know what you think. It really means a lot!


	4. FOUR: Revelation

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the characters in it.

A/N: Sorry it's been a while since I uploaded. I have a lot of stuff going on at the moment, so I won't be able to update particularly regularly. As always, if there are any mistakes, please point them out, and please feel free to review my work (it all helps) to encourage me to write more, and I hope you enjoy!

 **Lost**

 **FOUR: Revelation**

I woke with a start, gasping, my chest heaving. I'd instinctively grabbed for my blaster. Coming to, I looked at it through heavy eyelids and wearily lowered the it to the ground. My head was thick. The morning light streamed in through the mouth of the cave and I shielded my eyes. I could feel the sharp coolness of the morning air in my lungs as my breathing slowed.

I rubbed my eyes, feeling them press inside their sockets. I couldn't remember exactly what I'd been dreaming about. It was all a little too hazy to make out. But glancing over the burnt-out embers of the fire, I seemed to remember it was something to do with _her_.

I shook off the warm, drowsy sensation she'd filled me with.

I glanced over at Seven. As perfectly still as always. Parts of his bruise were turning a little green. Rousing myself, I got to my feet and went to check on the water collection. The leaf had collected a little, about enough for one, and I took it over to Seven. Kneeling down, I gently propped him up against me, angled his slack jaw upwards, and slowly trickled the water into his mouth.

As I poured, I couldn't help my mind drifting. But it wasn't drifting into dismal thoughts. It was drifting into nothingness. I sweet and restful nothingness. Through these eyes I looked at Seven, and felt nothing. Surreal is the only word to use. I was unaware how long passed like that with Seven's head in my lap.

I broke myself out of it. This is _not_ me. I ground my teeth together. It had to be dehydration. I went over the wall of the cave and reluctantly pressed my lips against it and sucked. The moisture was cold and irritating as it hit the back of my throat. I spread my hands over the walls and sluggishly wiped my face with them, staying too long over my cheeks as I sighed. I had to find where that water source came above ground.

To occupy my brain, I set about cutting and packing some more of the meat for the journey ahead. We had to make several kilometres today if we were to make it to the crash site in a couple of days. I stood by the mouth of the cave and tried to reach the General again, not expecting anything, but making sure.

'If anyone out there can hear us, we're making for the crash site. I have a trooper down. Rex out.' I tagged on to the end.

I waited. Silence, as always. I retied Seven's fastenings, quickly checked over my gear and equipment, slotting my knife back into its scabbard, lowered my helmet over my head, picked up the makeshift stretcher, and dragged Seven out into the light.

Everything was white. As my eyes adjusted I could make out the treeline, and then the trees, and the small mountains in the distance. The sun was bright, still high in the sky on its eastward path, but large, aggressive-looking clouds loomed on the horizon. A strong breeze roughed up against my helmet.

`Looks like it's going to rain later.' I said to Seven as I pulled off at a staggered pace down the slope.

If the water source had been running above us in the cave, then logically, if we followed the slope of the land downwards, we'd eventually find the river. I could feel the sun heating up the air in my helmet. I placed my feet carefully as I made our descent to the forest. Less than an hour later, we were under the cool canopy of the giant trees. I welcomed the shade and took a quick rest up against one in the dappled light before getting on. My leg no longer dragged but something still twinged uncomfortably in the kneecap. My chest, however, was feeling tighter and swollen under my armour, and I wondered how many ribs I'd broken. Two? Three? The pain was strong but bearable. Better than yesterday, that was what was important. I licked my lips. They felt rough and cracked. As I blinked, my eyeballs felt tight and shrunken.

Progress on the forest floor was slow. The roots of the trees spread out for metres and often above the ground, taller than me. The presence of the trees dwarfed me. The fallen and discarded foliage caused too much friction with the stretcher. If you didn't count me and Seven scraping a path, it was strangely quiet. No doubt all the local wildlife were steering clear. The breeze rustled and the canopy whispered. A light dusting of leaves cascaded down in front of me. A small furry animal darted across my path to safety.

I continued on my way, stopping every hour for a quick break and to test the comms again. There was a strange relief in knowing there'd be no reply. Perhaps because it was the one damned thing I could be certain about in this whole mess.

I wasn't sure how long I'd been walking, three hours, maybe four, when I stopped. The quiet of the forest was being filled with something. It was distant and faint, but distinct. Familiar. A cool sounding rush, like a soft, continuous, bubbling, chatter. The river was close. I took up the stretcher with renewed enthusiasm and followed my ears. Pulling Seven in a winding path through the great trunks and roots of the trees, the sound grew in my ears, guiding me.

Suddenly, the sound was fresh. I turned to face the river. It was quite small, and ran trickling over its stony bed, but had built up a fair amount of speed. I dragged Seven closer to the bank and knelt down, removing my helmet. I dipped my hands into the icy water and splashed it up into my face. I let out a deep, relieved sigh as the water dripped from my nose and lashes. After a brief moment, I scooped the water inside my cupped hands and slurped eagerly, my eyes shut in bliss.

I opened my eyes and they settled on my reflection. It rippled with the river. The first time I'd seen my own face in days, I thought.

'Well,' My lips curled wryly. 'That's not strictly true, is it?' I glanced over at Seven. The smile quickly faded. My eyes were drawn back to my reflection in the water. My eyes were tired and red. My mouth hung ajar. Dark circles surrounded my eyes. A strong and wild-looking stubble had sprouted on the lower half of my face, and I had a small gash above my right eye with some colourful bruising around the edges. I'd certainly looked better.

With a moment not on my feet, my muscles began to seize up. I could feel them contracting across my back and I doubled over, my arms outstretched on the edge of the bank. I stared at myself in the reflection as my dream began to come back to me.

 _Short flashes of chaos. Haunting screams._ _A raging fire. The suffering of billions._

I held my eyes tightly shut, and my fingers digging into the turf. I felt the dirt sliding under my nails.

 _The Jedi temple burned. Everything shrouded in darkness._

I flinched and let out a cry. My eyes grew hot with tears. It felt so real.

 _And then, from the flames. she came. She should have been consumed, but the flames wouldn't touch her. Older, but not so different. She came to me in an angelic air, the blue of her eyes staring into my soul. She told me she was with me._

I felt it _._

 _She reached out and put her hand on my shoulder. And the moment she did, the horror melted away. The fire shrank. The screaming stopped._

The eyebrows unknotted and relief washed over me. A single tear of happiness rolled down my face and into the river.

 _I felt her, not just with me, but in me. Not only spiritually, but physically._

I felt a swelling below. A sensual pooling of blood. A warm, elating sensation rushed around my body, originating from that one point. But it was more than physical. My mind felt cool and at ease, and unburdened. I had never felt so energised and freed.

My vision faded to white and my eyes opened. I breathed in deeply, gasping, my eyes streaming with tears. I could not explain it, but it seemed so much more than a dream. Ahsoka had been with me, here, last night and then. Maybe not in body, but she _had been here._

Recovering my senses, I sat up and glanced over at Seven, who had been as unaware of the whole thing as he was of everything else these days. My heart felt full. I looked up at the patches of sky through the sparse canopy and let out an audible breath. Standing up, I put my helmet back on and tried the comms again. A twig snapped in the distance behind me.

Something felt wrong. I grabbed both my blasters and spun around, grimacing under my helmet. My eyes flitted between the trees. Something was there.

'Who's out there?!' I didn't know what I was expecting. Natives, clankers, Separatist scum, an animal – everything was on the deck. I waited, poised, my eyes scanning for movement.

'I know you're there! Come out with your hands behind your head!' I barked. I could feel my lungs holding my breath. I had no idea what was out there. I could have been surrounded. This could have been my final moment. And yet I wasn't afraid.

There was a slight movement behind one of the trees. I reacted, my arms instantly altering their aim. I steadied my hand, eyes trained down the sights. But what stepped into the light, I was not expecting.

'Don't shoot, sir!' He had his arms behind his head.

The white and blue armour. The voice.

'Please don't shoot! It's just me...'

My eyes widened as my arms fell limp and my blasters lowered.

A clone.

A/N: Sorry, I meant for this chapter to be longer, but it just didn't happen. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! If you did, please review and let me know, maybe even follow or favourite. If you didn't, feel free let me know why! (But please be considerate.) Thank you so much for your time, and I hope to see you again! Until next time. ~ Kuppuru-chan


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